A Cat Owned by a COVID-19 Confirmed Patient Also Tests Positive... Undergoing Secondary Testing

Unusual Symptoms Such as Runny Nose and Fever... First Case on Gwangju Line

A cat is sitting at the Garak-dong Agricultural and Marine Products Wholesale Market in Songpa-gu, Seoul, five days before Seollal, the biggest traditional Korean holiday. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] For the first time in the Gwangju area, an animal tested positive for COVID-19.

According to Gwangju Metropolitan City on the 6th, at 2 a.m. that day, a cat owned by a confirmed case tested positive in a COVID-19 diagnostic test, and a secondary confirmation test is underway.

The cat in question was owned by a confirmed case diagnosed on the 4th and was taken to an isolation facility, after which the family took care of it.

When the cat showed abnormal symptoms such as nasal discharge and fever the day before, the owner requested a test from the Gwangju quarantine authorities.

The quarantine authorities reported a positive result in the first test, but according to the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency’s "COVID-19 Testing Guidelines for Companion Animals," a secondary confirmation test by the Quarantine Agency is in progress.

The results are expected to be announced tonight or tomorrow.

A Gwangju city official stated, “Since the secondary test is currently being conducted by the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, it cannot be definitively concluded as ‘confirmed.’ If the final positive is confirmed, the cat will be quarantined for two weeks at the place where it lived, and another test will be conducted two weeks later before lifting the quarantine.”

Meanwhile, nationwide, there have been six cases this year where pets of confirmed cases tested positive.

These include a cat in Jinju on January 21, a cat in Dongjak-gu, Seoul on the 14th of last month, cats in Sejong City and a dog in Nowon-gu, Seoul on the 17th, a dog in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do on the 20th, and a dog in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 22nd.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.